It has been 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
